Horsehide Trivia

There is no fee. There are no prizes. It's just for fun, and it's not restricted to SABR members.
We have been going daily since 1997 and now have over 2,000 “subscribers”. We’re also on Facebook (search for Horsehide Trivia).
We work with a weekly theme and the questions increase in difficulty as the week progresses.
T. Scott Brandon,
Port Angeles, Washington,
D. Bruce Brown,
Columbia, Maryland, and
Dr. Gregg Gaylord,
Chicago, Illinois

Q. After Mel Ott led the New York Giants in home runs for 18 consecutive years, who finally snapped his string?

Hint: He was the first NL position player to be runner-up in the MVP balloting in consecutive seasons.

A. Johnny Mize (Led Giants in HRs with 22 in 1946. That same year Ott had only one—his 511th and last career home run; MVP voting 1939-40, finishing behind Bucky Walters and Frank McCormick respectively.)

Hint: He signed a professional contract only after consulting with Miss Helen Kloz, his high school librarian, who advised him to follow his heart "at least for a little while".

Hint: He gave up a home run to someone who appeared as an answer previously this week.

Hint: His pitching career ended when he fell heavily on his arm in a minor league game.

A. Stan Musial (Tumbling lessons at the Polish National Alliance in Donora, PA; Led Donora High School to an undefeated season in 1938; Mrs. Kloz was also the assistant baseball coach; gave up a home run to Johnny Mize in spring training in 1941; no longer pitched effectively after making a shoestring catch 11-Aug-1940 in the minors)

FCR – Fred Worth, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Incorrect answers: Jamie Moyer, Clint Hartung, Ralph Branca

SUNDAY

Q. Whose baseball trading card is generally the least well preserved in the first major set Topps ever produced.

Hint: He played for the same manager on two different teams.

A. Andy Pafko (His card was #1 in the Topps 1952 set and when found today, it almost always has rubber band dents on the edges; Pafko played for manager Charlie Grimm on the Cubs and Braves.)

FCR – Barry Zamoff, Washington, DC

Incorrect answers: Mickey Mantle, Warren Spahn, Early Wynn, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Yogi Berra, Ted Williams, Eddie Mathews (a popular guess since his card #407 was the last one in that set)

WEEKLY THEME – National League players who hit more than 35 home runs in a season while accumulating fewer strikeouts than home runs.

- Chuck Dressen showed Hodges film of at-bats where Hodges would bail out on inside pitches. Hodges changed the position of his back foot, correcting the problem and leading to his success as a batter.

- 1957-59 Gold Glove 1B

FCR - Bob Flynn, Chandler, Arizona

Incorrect answers: Sherm Lollar, Roy McMillan, Ted Williams

IN MEMORIAM

Q.Who threw the pitch that resulted in the home run called “the shot heard ‘round the world”?

Hint:An All-Star pitcher with a 12-year major league resume, had led the league in win/loss percentage just two years earlier.

Hint:He and the hitter of the home run eventually became friends. In 1991 and 2001, they toured the country together for the 40th and 50th anniversaries of "The Shot”.

Hint:His son-in-law is a former major league manager,an All-Star in his own right.

Hint:A few years ago, he discovered that his mother was Jewish and some of his relatives had died in the Holocaust.